after dinner sneeze

a + v say:  We wrote the following letter after a visit to Morimoto:

Dear Managers of Morimoto and Steven Starr Events,
     Our party of six attended Morimoto this past Saturday (22nd, 2011) for a 9:15pm dinner reservation. We all frequent the top restaurants in Philadelphia but for our friend’s birthday, we chose Morimoto. First, let me praise the chef and kitchen staff for an exquisite meal. The Omakase challenged and surprised our palates with every course.
     Sadly, what we will remember is frustration, which began with a thirty minute wait for our table. Thirty minutes is objectionable at most restaurants and unacceptable at a place of Morimoto’s caliber.
     The night’s real disenchantment was the result of our server, Jacob. Although he was aware of the situation, he made no attempt to amend our wait, was impersonal, and hard to understand. More importantly, he forgot to acknowledge our friend’s birthday even though it was noted on the reservation and reiterated upon our arrival. Several other glitches throughout the meal paled to the egregiousness of receiving a bill ($1500) that was double the correct amount of our dinner.
     One of these shortcomings is forgivable but together, given the circumstances and the server’s lack of rectification, made for an extremely disappointing night. We have great respect for chef Morimoto and owner Stephen Starr, and know our experience is not representative of their expectations. We hope this letter ensures these standards remain, which is what we have come to expect from your other fine establishments.
     Sincerely,  a + v

With an experience like that who would return? We did … after the apology we received – a $400 gift certificate with a note thanking them for sharing what happened.  Now that is customer service!

On our return visit with the same group one year later (January 2012), we opted to order a la carte. We preferred this option, as it allowed us to try a variety of dishes and share with each other. The Cha-Soba Chilled Greed Tea Noodles with Chopped Scallion, Fresh Wasabi, and Dashi-Shoyu Sauce for Dipping, were great. a ordered the Duck Duck Duck (Madras Roasted Duck Breast, Confit Fried Rice, Duck Egg, Mandarin Oolong Reduction) and v ordered the Seafood ‘Toban Yaki’ (Sweet Prawns, Scallops, King Crab, Bok Choy, Manila Clams, Oyster Mushrooms, Citrus Butter). Both dishes were plentiful. While the flavors in the Seafood ‘Toban Yaki’ were delicious and the quality of the seafood and the care taken to prepare the meal stood out. a described v’s seafood dish as a Japanese Bouillabaisse. According to a, all three duck preparations were good, but the confit fried rice was “off the hinges”.  Overall, our second experience was very good. The pork belly was very well prepared. The service was better this time. Our server was attentive, professional, and friendly. The room is a bit noisy so it was hard to hear her at times, but this did not interfere with our experience. As for Jacob – he surprisingly still works there.